


the places we'll go

by scrubcake



Category: Butterfly Soup (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/F, Post Graduation, road trip au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2017-10-27
Packaged: 2019-01-25 05:38:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12524196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrubcake/pseuds/scrubcake
Summary: Akarsha, Diya, Min, and Noelle have finally graduated from high school. And the first thing the four of them decide to do with their newfound freedom is to pool their money together and head out on a road trip.





	the places we'll go

**Author's Note:**

> henlo. if you haven't played this game yet what are you doing. anyways i hope you enjoy (:

Diya was the last one to arrive.

She skidded to a halt in the parking lot that was empty save for a single, rather beat-up car. Noelle was sitting on the curb beside it, reading a paperback book that was propped up on her knees. Akarsha appeared to be enjoying some form of sunbathing or something, sprawled out face-up on the roof of the car. And Min-seo was pacing back and forth restlessly, twirling a butterfly knife in between her fingers.

When she caught sight of Diya, she grinned broadly and sprinted towards her, pocketing her knife along the way.

“Diya!” she said, moving in for a hug but stopping short as she took in everything Diya was holding. “Diya. Did you run the entire way here carrying all this stuff?”

Diya just nodded happily and adjusted her hold on the suitcase in her left hand. She was also wearing a backpack and carrying a rolled-up sleeping bag under her right arm.

At the sound of the commotion Noelle looked up from her book, and Akarsha sat up, stretched a bit, and then rolled off the car.

“Hey, Diya,” said Noelle with a faint smile. “Glad you could make it.”

“Took you long enough,” said Akarsha. She took the car keys and popped the trunk open so Diya could fit her stuff in. “You guys ready to head out?”

Noelle stood up and dusted the back of her pants off before joining the others. “Let’s do this.”

“Who’s driving?” asked Min.

They all watched as Diya added her sleeping bag to the very top of the mound of luggage and then step back to close the trunk. “I am,” Akarsha said simply. “Duh. Everyone knows that lesbians can’t drive.”

“I got my license a full year before you did,” Noelle huffed, but she headed towards the passenger side anyways. Akarsha shot her a grin and hopped into the driver’s seat, while Min and Diya got in the back.

“We ready to head out, folks?” Akarsha asked, sticking the keys into the ignition and starting the car.

“No. No, we are not,” said Noelle. She reached across the center console and grabbed Akarsha’s seatbelt, fumbling to drag it back across her to the clip. “If you get us into an accident and go flying through the windshield because you didn’t wear your damn seatbelt, I’ll kill you.”

“Right,” said Akarsha, sounding oddly embarrassed.

Over in the back seat, Diya sighed in content and leaned over to rest her head in Min’s lap. A few second later, Min began to play with her hair, absently curling a few strands around her fingers.

They finally pulled out of the parking lot and started cruising down the street. The early afternoon weather was perfect, with fluffy clouds dotting the intense blue sky.

“You guys better not get anything in here dirty,” Akarsha said, “or else my dad’s gonna kill me.”

Min snorted. “You’re the most likely out of all of us to make a mess.”

“Shut up.”

Noelle shook her head, sighing. Diya tried and failed to hide her smile.

 

* * *

 

For the first fifteen minutes, the ride remained fairly quiet.

Then Akarsha asked, “So, do you guys wanna go camping first? Or save that for later and visit the more urban areas first?”

“Wait.” Noelle froze in her seat, then turned to face Akarsha incredulously. “Are you saying you haven’t even decided what we’re doing yet?”

“No,” said Akarsha, waving her off. “I know what we’re doing. I’m just asking what order we should do them in.”

“What happened to the schedule I sent you last week?”

“Uh. Good question.”

“Akarsha!”

“Camping,” said Diya.

There was a pause.

“Sorry, what?” asked Akarsha.

“We should go camping first,” Diya repeated. “Sounds more fun.”

That sealed the deal for them. So Akarsha turned up the radio and changed course to start heading to the campsite.

 

* * *

 

Besides stopping to grab some fast food for dinner, they made it all the way to the campgrounds without pause.

Akarsha parked them on the edge of the rocky path, and the four of them got out of the car.

Min was the first to reach the trunk and pop it open. She grabbed the heaviest bag, the one containing the tent, and strained to lift it up.

Noelle watched her from a few feet away. “Are you sure you can handle that?” she asked.

“Of course I can!” Min said, her face scrunched up in concentration. “Who do you think I am, some weakling—”

Diya snuck up behind her and easily lifted the bag from Min’s hands, hefting it over one shoulder.

“Damn, look at those guns,” said Akarsha, whistling.

Min slapped her hand away from Diya’s arm. “Hands off my girlfriend, asshole.”

“Wow, um, Diya’s my friend too,” Akarsha retorted, pretending to sound offended. “I’m pretty sure I’m allowed to touch my friend if I want to.”

“You’re messed up,” said Min, a grin forming on her face. “You wanna fight?”

“Hell yeah—hell no, hell no!”

Akarsha darted around to the other side of Diya while Min chased her.

“Get back here, you piece of shit!”

Noelle was watching them with an exasperated expression. She pulled out the last of the supplies they’d need and set it on the ground beside the car before closing the trunk. “Are you doing okay there?” she asked Diya.

Diya glanced down at Min and Akarsha, who were still running after each other in circles around her. Then she looked back up at Noelle and shrugged sheepishly.

The scuffle didn’t stop until Min had gotten Akarsha into a headlock, which took some effort considering she was a good few inches shorter than her.

Even though they were all high school graduates by now, they still acted like five-year-olds most of the time.

 

* * *

 

The sun was nearly setting by the time they arrived at the campsite. It was in a little clearing, surrounded on all sides by trees.

“Wait, Diya,” said Min. “We gotta go catch the sunset right now.”

“Why?” asked Diya.

“Because, uh, it’s supposed to be really romantic or something,” said Min. “I dunno. I just wanna go see it.”

“Wait,” said Akarsha. “Are you just gonna leave me here all by myself to set up the tent?”

“Who the hell am I, then?” said Noelle.

“You don’t count. You’re too weak to help.”

“I hate you.”

Min reached out and took Diya’s hand in her own. “Have fun, suckers! Diya, let’s go!”

And with that, she began sprinting in a random direction, looking for an end to the forest around them. Diya turned back and shot Akarsha and Noelle an apologetic look before following after Min.

 

* * *

 

They missed the sunset.

Min and Diya had finally broken out of the trees, stumbling upon a vast, glittering lake, but the last vestiges of the sun’s rays were already disappearing under the horizon.

“Dammit,” said Min, looking extremely disappointed. “We missed it. Dammit.”

“It’s okay,” said Diya. “We can always see it tomorrow night.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” Min sighed and kicked away a pebble, watching it splash into the lake. “Sorry I dragged you all the way out here for nothing.”

“Not for nothing. I like spending time with you.”

Min smiled. “Thanks, Diya.”

Diya just smiled back.

A few moments later, she glanced around her. Then she made her way over to a small pile of rocks and crouched down beside it.

“What are you doing?” Min asked.

“Looking for something,” said Diya. She picked out a small, flat looking pebble and stood back up. “Like this.”

Min walked over and looked at the rock, which Diya was proudly displaying on the palm of her hand. “Uh, it’s a rock.”

“A cool rock,” Diya told her. She brought her right arm up in a stretch, and then turned to face the lake. “Look what I can do.”

She brought her arm back, holding the pebble in a tight grip, before throwing it out as hard and flat as she could. The pebble spun out to the lake, smacking the water once and then bouncing back up.

“Whoa,” said Min in awe, as they watched the pebble bounce several more times before disappearing under the surface. “That’s so cool. I didn’t know you could skip rocks.”

Diya beamed at her. “I can teach you, if you want.”

“Sure.”

So they went back to the pile and picked out the flattest pebbles they could find. Then Diya showed Min how to properly throw it.

“You have to hold it like this,” Diya explained, gripping the pebble in between her thumb and index finger. “When you throw it you have to make it spin really fast. Otherwise it won’t bounce.”

Min tried to copy Diya’s grip as best as she could. “Like this?”

“Yeah.” Diya nodded. “Try it out.”

Min squared her shoulders, took a step forward, and chucked the pebble out to the lake. It landed in the water with a splash. “What? Why are you laughing at me?”

“I’m not laughing,” said Diya, trying to tamp down on her amusement. “You threw it like you throw a baseball.” She reached out and put a new pebble in Min’s hand, adjusting her hold on it. But instead of letting go afterwards, she held onto it just a bit longer.

Min tried not to blush and failed. “Alright. Take two.”

Diya pulled off her baseball cap and turned it backwards, fitting it nicely onto Min’s head. “For good luck,” she said with a smile.

“Can I have more luck?” Min asked, trying to look innocent.

“Okay.” Diya cupped Min’s face, leaned down, and kissed her gently.

When she pulled away, Min was grinning like an idiot.

Her second try didn’t go much better than the first, but at least the pebble bounced once before sinking beneath the water again.

“Good job,” said Diya, her voice filled with affection. She hugged Min, pulling her as close as possible.

“You’re squishing me,” Min complained, but she sank into Diya’s embrace anyways, resting her head back on Diya’s chest.

 

* * *

 

Min and Diya made their way back about fifteen minutes later, only to find that Akarsha and Noelle still hadn’t finished setting up the tent yet.

“Why do you guys suck so bad at this?” asked Min by way of greeting.

“I don’t suck,” said Akarsha. She was sitting on the ground surrounded by pieces of the unassembled tent, holding the instructions manual upside-down. “Noelle does.”

“You suck at least as much as I do,” said Noelle, groaning. “This stupid stake just won’t stay in the ground—”

Diya walked over, motioning for Noelle to move her hand. Then she put her foot on the tip of the stake and drove it several inches into the dirt.

“Thanks,” said Noelle.

Diya beamed at her.

“Okay.” Akarsha threw the instructions manual away from her and flopped down onto the ground. “New plan. Diya does all the work.”

“Can we roast marshmallows afterwards?” Diya asked.

“Can you make a fire?” asked Akarsha.

“I have a lighter,” said Min.

They all looked at each other. Then Akarsha shrugged. “Okay.”

So Akarsha and Noelle sat back and watched Diya single-handedly set up the tent. Min tried to help, but she stepped back when it became clear that Diya was handling it better on her own.

“Ta-da,” she said happily when she’d finished, a few minutes later.

Akarsha poked her head inside the tent to inspect Diya’s handiwork. “I know she does this all the time, but I’m still amazed,” she said when she pulled back.

“Marshmallows,” said Diya.

So the four of them split up to go search for firewood, flashlights at the ready, since it was starting to get dark out.

 

* * *

 

It took Min nearly ten tries to finally set the tinder on fire.

When the flames began to spread across their makeshift campfire, she stepped back, looking at her lighter in distaste.

“I’m almost out,” she said, shaking the lighter and frowning.

Noelle stared at her. “How often do you use that thing?” she asked incredulously.

“Uh, I just like playing with it,” said Min. She pocketed the lighter and stepped closer to Diya, who was crouching by the fire, trying to fan the flames.

“How many marshmallows do you think I could fit on one stick?” she asked.

“A lot,” Min answered, grinning. “Let’s find out!”

“Okay!”

Soon enough they had each found a stick and Diya had torn open the pack of marshmallows they’d brought with them.

“How many is that?” Min asked.

Diya counted her marshmallows. “Seven.”

“Nice!” said Min, impressed. She only had two on her stick and had put them directly into the center of the fire.

Across from them, Noelle was heating up her marshmallow for a few seconds at a time and then pulling it back to inspect it. When it passed too close to Akarsha’s face, she reached out and took a bite.

“Hey! Akarsha!” Noelle protested.

Akarsha chewed thoughtfully for a few minutes before swallowing and then grinning. “Not bad, Frenchman,” she said. “Who knew you’d be decent at roasting marshmallows?”

Noelle reached out and swiped Akarsha’s stick from her hands. “You nasty thief.”

Akarsha put a hand to her heart in mock offense and then dived for Noelle, trying to take her stick back.

Their ensuing scuffle was interrupted when Min jumped up, yelling, her marshmallow ablaze.

“Fuck!” she shouted. “Diya, fuck!”

“What?” Diya asked, her eyes wide.

“Fuck!”

Min thwacked her stick around in the air a couple times until the fire went out. All that was left was two darkened, completely charred marshmallows.

“Damn,” said Akarsha. She was nearly on top of Noelle, who was sitting on the ground with their sticks held as far away from Akarsha as she could, but both of them were staring at Min. “Is that still edible?”

Min poked her marshmallows a couple times to check the temperature. Then she shrugged and took a bite.

“Why is it making such a loud crunching noise?” Diya asked worriedly.

“I dunno,” said Min. “But it tastes good. I like it.”

A few minutes after that, they all got back to their appropriate seats, talking and laughing across from each other around the fire. At some point Akarsha began telling them stories that were clearly supposed to be scary, but with her funny expressions and dramatic flairs, they all started cracking up instead. Diya was giggling, Min was rolling her eyes but grinning, and Noelle was covering her face with her hands, her shoulders hunched and shaking with repressed laughter.

 

* * *

 

It was late at night when they finally retired to the tent to sleep.

There was barely enough space for the four of them to all fit.

“I told you we should have brought two tents,” said Noelle.

“Come on!” said Akarsha, whining. “When’s the next time you’re gonna get to cuddle with me? Think of it as a healthy bonding experience.”

“If you fart, I’ll murder you and dump your body in the woods someplace where no one will find it,” said Noelle.

“Whoa, take it easy there. Min-seo.”

“You take that back, fucker!” Min shouted, squirming around in Diya’s arms. Diya just held onto her tighter and laughed until Min calmed down again.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hi,” said Min with a sigh. “You’re producing so much body heat. I’m burning up.”

Diya smiled and pressed a kiss to the back of Min’s head. “I know you like being the little spoon. There’s no need to be embarrassed about it.”

“No. Shut up.”

“Okay.”

“You guys are so cute I’m gonna puke,” said Akarsha.

“Can everyone please shut up?” Noelle interrupted them. “I want to get some rest.”

So they shut up. Eventually, one-by-one, they drifted off to sleep in the tent together.


End file.
